Analyst Expects Apple to Upgrade MacBooks at WWDC 2013

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Analyst Expects Apple to Upgrade MacBooks at WWDC 2013

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Could we see a refresh to Apple’s MacBook line up at WWDC 2013? According to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, his latest research note (via AppleInsider) claims the company will update the MacBook lineup with Intel’s most recent platform (don’t expect a Retina MacBook Air though):

While no major design changes are thought to be in store for WWDC, Kuo now thinks Apple will keep the optical drive-toting MacBook Pro alive alongside the company’s most advanced MacBook Pro with Retina display and MacBook Air models. The analyst previously forecast Apple would retire the line as it moved to all-Retina product offerings.

“There is still demand in emerging markets, where Internet penetration isn’t advanced, for optical disk drives,” he said of the 13- and 15-inch non-Retina MacBook Pro. Apple’s top-tier MacBook lineup eschewed the previous built-in SuperDrive in a bid to slim down the chassis and cut weight.

The change expected to make the biggest impact will be the debut of Haswell processors, Intel’s latest chips which are set to debut on the eve of the tradeshow Computex Taipei. WWDC 2013 is set to take place from June 10-14.

As for ship dates, Kuo says MacBook Air and Pro models will start by the end of the second quarter, while Retina MacBoo Pro models will see a release later in 2013, apparently due to a low yield for the higher resolution panels.

Last year at WWDC 2012, Apple refreshed their notebook line up and also introduced the 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro, plus shared news about the release of OS X Mountain Lion and iOS 6. If history repeats itself, we definitely could see internal upgrades for MacBooks so if you’ve been looking to make a purchase, your best bet would be to hold out a little longer.